Messe Frankfurt: Beyond exhibitions

MANILA, Philippines - During a private meeting between Messe Frankfurt GmbH president and CEO Wolfgang Marzin and CITEM executive director Rosario Virginia Gaetos, they discussed how one of the world’s leading trade fair organizers could help the Philippine export industry and explore other industries where a partnership could be forged.

Messe Frankfurt boasts a global network of 28 subsidiaries, five branch offices, 52 international sales partners and 457 euros in sales. Last year, they organized 101 trade fairs, 64 of which took place outside Germany, covering sectors such as automotive parts, furniture and furnishings, gifts and housewares, home and contract textiles, and consumer goods.

In the Philippines, starting in 2012, Messe Frankfurt is represented by Worldwide Exhibitions Linkage Services (WE-Link), headed by Wilbert Novero, who has been in trade fair promotions for the past 17 years. 

Events “made by Messe Frankfurt” take place in more than 30 locations around the globe, including Vietnam, Thailand, Shanghai, Korea, Hong Kong and Mumbai in Asia. Any chance for one in Manila?

Marzin says, “We all believe that Asia will be the next key market we should look into. We have looked at Singapore, we have Indonesia in the focus, and we’re also open to look at the Philippines as a venue. We not only ask you to come to Frankfurt but mainly if we can have a partnership with the Philippines.”

Marzin says, “This company is international thinking and international acting. We’re very open, we’re not on a one-way street, we’re on a highway with both directions. We’re always developing. As you can see, we have more shows outside Frankfurt than in Frankfurt itself. Obviously, Frankfurt is the only place where we have trade grounds and in other countries we rent the exhibition space”

Oh, but what huge fair grounds they are! Messe Frankfurt features 578,000 square meters, hosting 10 exhibition halls and an adjacent Congress Center. The exhibition grounds were designed by renowned architects including Helmut Jahn, Oswald M. Ungers and Nicolas Grimshaw with exhibition halls clad in glass and swathed in natural lighting.  

Ambiente, held last month, was divided into these 10 halls, which meant visitors had quite a lot of exploring to do. 

“While other companies focus on maximum profits, we want to be profitable for the long term, make the business sustainable,” says Marzin. “Not only is Frankfurt a platform for Philippine exporters, but also the locations in which we work in. We started overseas trade shows in 1987 to export the brands we have here, to clone Ambiente pretty much.”

This year, Messe wants to explore other businesses and partnerships in the Philippines. “I imagine that you are keen to have a call center or maybe try different ways to get people there. Maybe they can plan some export initiatives. If we don’t have the brand, then we will gladly discuss whether Messe Frankfurt could look at these initiatives. We are never stuck with our brands, we are always looking to develop trade shows and conferences to cater to the needs of the countries.”

Rosevi Gaetos shares that CITEM is currently laying the groundwork for Brand Philippines, the brand that will be carried across different product categories and industries. “Part of that brand building is promoting it everywhere we go, whether in Ambiente or, say, in textile shows. What we want is continuity. If we start building that brand starting 2013, the physicality of it is very important, we want to be in one area at trade fairs, in one hall.”

Gaetos quips, “Give us a hall and we will work to fill it up.”

Some of Messe Frankfurt’s fairs that Philippine exporters participate in are Light+Building (April 15 to 20), the world’s leading trade fair for architecture and technology; Automechanika (Sept. 11 to 16), the largest automotive aftermarket event; and Tendence (Aug. 24 to 28) and the 2013 editions of the recently concluded Christmasworld (January) and Ambiente (February).

Marzin says, “If you’re on the way to building a brand that is nothing like any in the world, then we’re ready to be a partner. We don’t see ourselves only as space rental guys. We can provide platforms for press conferences when you spread the word about Brand Philippines to attract clients. And we can talk about partner country stages for several shows. We want long-lasting relationships.”